game day Share this Game Day Build-Up: Sens look to follow up opening night win by spooking the Phantoms October 15, 2023 Belleville Sens Game Day Build-Up Oct.15/23 @ Lehigh Valley Phantoms (NHL Affiliate: Philadelphia Flyers) The Set-Up: It’s a quick turnaround today for the Belleville Senators, who set a new franchise mark on Saturday night, winning their season opener in a shutout for the first time. Belleville beat the Hershey Bears 3-0, with goals by Cole Reinhardt, Nikolas Matinpalo and Angus Crookshank and a 30 save performance from Mads Sogaard, to earn his first career American Hockey League Shutout. This afternoon, the Sens will look to carry that momentum into Allentown, Pennsylvania, as they visit the Lehigh Valley Phantoms. The Phantoms are coming off a Saturday night matchup themselves, falling 5-2 to the Cleveland Monsters, in their home opener at PPL Center. Previous History: Tonight’s matchup is the first of two meetings between the Sens and Phantoms this season, and the 11th all-time between the two clubs. The Senators sit just below the .500 mark when visiting PPL Center, skating to a 2-2-1-0 record. Lifetime against the Phantoms, the Sens are 6-3-1-0. Belleville earned three of a possible four points in the two-game season series in 2022-23, with a 1-0-1-0 record. Roster Notes: The Senators will make two changes from Saturday night’s season opening win. Head Coach Dave Bell will go back to the more traditional 12 forwards and six defencemen, as Josh Currie draws in to make his Belleville Sens debut, in place of Jacob Larsson. Larsson will sit due to the AHL’s veteran rule, which states a team can only dress six skaters that have played more than 260 combined pro games. The other change is in net, where Kevin Mandolese will make his season debut, looking to follow up on Mads Sogaard’s outstanding performance on opening night. Who to Watch: Big defencemen Nikolas Matinpalo made an immediate impact in his North American Professional debut last night, hammering home his first career American Hockey League goal, on the power play in the second period. He’ll certainly draw some attention when he sets up to shoot from the point again this afternoon. Fans will be likely be focused on the net as well, with Kevin Mandolese making his first start of the season. Follow the action: Today’s game can be watched free on AHL TV heard on the Belleville Sens Entertainment Network. Extended pregame coverage from Giant Center in Hershey, Pennsylvania, begins at 1:05 p.m. (ET) with David Foot. Ticket info: Tickets for all Belleville Sens home games through January 20, 2024, are now on sale online via the Belleville Sens Ticket Hub, or by emailing tickets@bellevillesens.com. Tickets for the second half of the season will be available for purchase beginning at 10:00 a.m. on Monday November 20, 2023, with information on hours for the Belleville Sens Box Office at the Quinte Sports and Wellness Centre, to be released later. Fans looking to buy second half tickets can secure those seats now, by purchasing season seat memberships, flex packs, group experiences or Business Elite memberships. Further information on the Belleville Sens promotional schedule, special events and more, are set to be released in the coming weeks. The full 2023-24 Belleville Senators regular season schedule can be found by clicking here. — Visit the Belleville Sens website: www.bellevillesens.com Engage with the Belleville Sens on Twitter: @BellevilleSens Like the Belleville Sens on Facebook: www.facebook.com/BellevilleSens Follow the Belleville Sens on Instagram: @BellevilleSens Listen to the Belleville Sens on Mixlr: www.bellevillesens.mixlr.com
